I'm not sure I agree with you 100% on this. The way I see it, the Warlord Princes have an imperative to be a law-unto-themselves, but they will always (barring the crazy) respond to a strong Queen of whatever jewel-rank, and sometimes just a female in general. There's a bit where Lucivar is about to fly off the handle during a Jhinka attack, but he's redirected into pumping water for an injured female... which makes him comment to the woman that it was clear she'd been trained on how to handle dark-jeweled Blood males.
I see what you mean. Let me try--instinct to obey, maybe? I mean, thinking about it, women are pretty much the only reason Warlord Princes aren't exterminating each other.
But I do think there's biological/instinctive urge to have someone to protect/serve--that shows up really vividly with Surreal and Ranier, that his family was afraid of him, so they became friends because he needed someone to fuss over since his family didn't/couldn't want that from him.
I'm more and more thinking about the way Anne Bishop is working with her gay characters--both Kayla and Ranier have platonic relationships with someone of the opposite sex but not any (canon) same-sex consorts/spouses/lovers. On one hand, I can read it, and it probably is part of the male/female biological dynamic that's very prevalent--even if Ranier had a male lover/husband/consort, he'd still want and need the female interaction since that's what Warlord Princes do, and in Karla's case with her Master of the Guard, since she definitely doesn't have a consort (and I appreciate that she dosen't have one or a First Escort, though I wonder why not a First Escort, then again, if it was to clarify that yes, she isn't interested in men, I can see that position left unfilled or only nominally filled, but that's not text, just speculation), and he's one of her triangle, he's a good choice as close friend, BUT--
But I really want Karla and Ranier to have the opportunity to form romantic or sexual attachments, too. And even beyond the tradition of having gay characters non-threatening by not having them have sex or on-screen relationships and wanting that kind of shit stopped, because it would be fascinating to see how that dynamic would work in this society and with this kind of biological drive. Ranier because I'd like to see how that works with a Warlord Prince (do they date their own kind? Hot, and scary. Only Warlords or Princes? That brings up the question of how the sexual dynamics would work, and yes, still hot, there we go), but Karla because she's a queen with at least the male part of her court useless to her for sex and in Blood society that isn't corrupt, women have a very sex positive thing going on. And in case this needs saying, it would be hot.
I mean, I don't insist on monogamy or anything, but Karla has a female lover with her when she visits Jaenelle! (When I think this, I keep wanting it to be Jaenelle's sister Wilhelmina, oddly enough.)
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I see what you mean. Let me try--instinct to obey, maybe? I mean, thinking about it, women are pretty much the only reason Warlord Princes aren't exterminating each other.
But I do think there's biological/instinctive urge to have someone to protect/serve--that shows up really vividly with Surreal and Ranier, that his family was afraid of him, so they became friends because he needed someone to fuss over since his family didn't/couldn't want that from him.
I'm more and more thinking about the way Anne Bishop is working with her gay characters--both Kayla and Ranier have platonic relationships with someone of the opposite sex but not any (canon) same-sex consorts/spouses/lovers. On one hand, I can read it, and it probably is part of the male/female biological dynamic that's very prevalent--even if Ranier had a male lover/husband/consort, he'd still want and need the female interaction since that's what Warlord Princes do, and in Karla's case with her Master of the Guard, since she definitely doesn't have a consort (and I appreciate that she dosen't have one or a First Escort, though I wonder why not a First Escort, then again, if it was to clarify that yes, she isn't interested in men, I can see that position left unfilled or only nominally filled, but that's not text, just speculation), and he's one of her triangle, he's a good choice as close friend, BUT--
But I really want Karla and Ranier to have the opportunity to form romantic or sexual attachments, too. And even beyond the tradition of having gay characters non-threatening by not having them have sex or on-screen relationships and wanting that kind of shit stopped, because it would be fascinating to see how that dynamic would work in this society and with this kind of biological drive. Ranier because I'd like to see how that works with a Warlord Prince (do they date their own kind? Hot, and scary. Only Warlords or Princes? That brings up the question of how the sexual dynamics would work, and yes, still hot, there we go), but Karla because she's a queen with at least the male part of her court useless to her for sex and in Blood society that isn't corrupt, women have a very sex positive thing going on. And in case this needs saying, it would be hot.
I mean, I don't insist on monogamy or anything, but Karla has a female lover with her when she visits Jaenelle! (When I think this, I keep wanting it to be Jaenelle's sister Wilhelmina, oddly enough.)